Ma'at
by Willow Fireheart
Summary: Ma'at seemed like the perfect place to have a break from their life of crime. Little did Simon and River know that it was the perfect place for a family reunion.
1. Chapter 1

**Ma'at**

Spoilers- just the series, there be no movie spoilers here.  
Disclaimer- the characters and settings used do not belong to be nor do I earn money for them, I am a simple writer who finds inspiration in the works of the Joss god.  
Note- I always thought that Joss would have brought the Tam's back had the series gone on longer.  
Note2- In Egyptian mythology Ma'at was the goddess of truth, it was also the term for universal order.  
Translations:  
_mei_ _mei_- little sister  
_yu_ _ben de_- stupid, foolish, silly  
_Liou_ _coe shway duh biao-tze huh hoe-tze duh bun ur-tze_- stupid son of a drooling whore and a monkey  
_Jien_ _tah du guai_- like hell  
xxx

Mal crossed his arms over his chest and stared down at his little mechanic. "Now, Kaylee, I know you've been a mite stressed lately-"

Kaylee glanced pleadingly up at him. "A mite, Captain? We've all been jumpier than a bunch of polecats on a hot tin roof. There ain't no Alliance nearby."

Mal looked into Kaylee's hopeful eyes. "I don't know, _mei_ _mei_. What about the Doctor and River?"

Kaylee grinned. "None of the folks on Ma'at know about the warrant, Alliance must not think they'll head for border planets. And we've been on plenty of planets like Ma'at afore, you never stopped 'em going planetside then. Anyways, Inara checked the local cortex, just to be sure," Kaylee added, seeing Mal's eyebrow rise at her swift assurance.

Kaylee could see he was wavering. "We're getting cabin fever, Cap'n. You can't tell me you ain't been feelin' it."

"Well, I might be a bit tightly wound-"

Inara and Wash snorted.

Kaylee hit him with the puppy dog eyes. "Please?"

Mal sighed. "Okay, but don't come crying to me if it gets you dead."

xxxxx

Kaylee put her hands on her hips and grinned down at the bustling dock. Ma'at was much like Persephone. It weren't exactly the average border planet. Ma'at had cities, not nearly as shiny as the core but the buildings all had at least another story on them. Ma'at had homes, ranches too. But the docks were the territory of the others. The so-called dregs of society: the homeless, the smugglers and petty crooks, the whores and the cheap drinking places.

Kaylee took a deep breath. Yep, sure was good to be planetside again. Kaylee's grin widened as Simon stopped beside her. She linked her arm through his.

She gestured down to the dock. "So, what do ya think?"

"I think," Simon smiled, "I think it's great to finally breathe air that hasn't been recycled and to be able to get far away from Jayne."

Kaylee giggled. She nudged Simon. "Looks like we ain't the only ones glad to be here."

Wash tugged Zoë down the ramp, his quirky grin widening as the sun hit his face. He waved back to Kaylee and Simon as Zoë laughed. "Don't wait up!"

River padded silently down the ramp on bare feet. She stood and watched the people bustling about.

"River, ain't ya glad to see the sun again?" Kaylee asked cheerfully.

"So small, in such a hurry. They're like ants." With that River turned on her heel and walked back into the ship.

Kaylee bit her lip and glanced at Simon. "I guess not."

xxxxx

River frowned in concentration as she drew in her notebook. Her pencil skimmed over the page, creating straight lines and perfect circles.

"Two days. Been here two days. Important number two. Can count to anything. Two times two equals four; four times four equals sixteen; sixteen times sixteen equals two hundred and fifty-six."

Suddenly River tensed. She looked up, staring into space. "They're here."

The pencil dropped from her numb fingers.

River scrambled upright, pausing momentarily to slip combat boots over her bare feet. She pulled back the door to her room and strode out.

"They're here."

xxxxx

Simon peered into the engine room, unsurprised to see Kaylee's feet poking out from underneath Serenity's heart, even though it was she who had fought so hard for this stop. Undoubtedly, Kaylee had gotten some new parts and couldn't wait to install them.

"Hey, Simon."

Simon started; he hadn't realized she could see him from there. "Hi, Kaylee Um, have you seen River?"

Kaylee pushed herself out and sat up. She drew her bottom lip between her teeth and wrinkled her brow. "Should I of?"

Simon tersely shook his head. "I left her sketching in her room just a few minutes ago. Shepard Book hurt his hand and when I got back she was gone. I've looked everywhere. Everywhere I know anyway."

Kaylee wiped her hands on a greasy rag. "She wouldn'ta went planet side, would she? We've been docked for a few days now."

Simon frowned. "The Captain never told her not to. Neither did I for that matter. She didn't seem interested in Ma'at after all."

"But you think-?"

Simon looked sick. "Oh, god."

He turned on his heel and ran out, Kaylee close on his heels. Simon's boots, his shiny shoes having been lost to a recent caper, clanged loudly on the grating as he raced through the ship and down into the cargo bay. Simon ran down the ramp and searched the people milling around the docks.

He pushed a hand through his hair. "Where is she? I can't see her! River! River!"

Kaylee grabbed Simon's arm and pointed to a far off alley, somewhat obscured by the buildings that encased it. "There she is!"

"River!" Simon sprinted off in that direction, pushing through the crowds.

He knocked against a well-dressed couple, pushing them into a cart loaded with fertilizer. Kaylee followed closely, throwing a quick apology behind her.

"Simon, wait." Kaylee kept as close behind him as she could, but Simon was rapidly pulling ahead. "Simon!"

The well-dressed woman turned at Kaylee's cries, her hand frozen in the act of brushing down her immaculate clothing. The woman's face was pale. "Simon?"

Kaylee glanced back at the woman, but her concern for River and Simon had her picking up speed to catch up with the doctor.

Panic seized Simon's chest as he ducked and weaved through the crowd, shoulder barging people when he had to. He kept craning his neck, trying to catch glimpses of dark hair and pale skin.

The crowd cleared enough for Simon to completely see River, rather than just catch glimpses of her. She was being lead into the alley Kaylee had pointed out by a boy who would only have been a few years older than River. For a second her eyes met Simon's. A smile lit up her face and she moved towards him. The boy leading her away tightened his grip on River's arm and dragged the now struggling River into the alley.

A red haze descended over Simon and before he knew what was happening he had reached the mouth of the alley. The boy had pulled River to the back of the alley. And he wasn't alone. Five other men surrounded River, their ages ranging from teenage to possibly late 60's.

A sharp hiss and the scuff of Simon's boots announced his presence. The men all turned to look at him. Unconsciously, Simon studied River's captors. They weren't Alliance, like he feared. The dirty, scruffy clothes they wore and the one gun between the six of them didn't speak of a crack military team.

One of the older men, his hair and beard streaked with grey, took a warning step towards him. "Whatta looking at, boy? Go on, get."

The oldest man, who was also the smallest and the one with the gun strapped to his hip, leered at Simon. "Maybe he wants a turn too." He cackled shrilly.

Simon's hands clenched. River staring at him calmly from within the men's grasp only seemed to make things worse.

"Let. Her. Go."

"Don't be _yu_ _ben_ _de_, boy. Just walk away," Greybeard warned him.

"Simon?" Kaylee stopped behind Simon, slightly out of breath.

The men eyed Kaylee lustfully, making her squirm and step closer to Simon. "Ya got one o' yer own and leave use with ours."

The boy that had lured River away pulled on River's arm. River stumbled and cried out, a bruise already forming on her pale skin.

"Let my sister go."

Simon's tone was low and filled with such menace that Kaylee couldn't help the shiver that ran down her spine.

The men looked to one another. "Well now, this changes things a mite."

Simon nodded. "Yes, I believe it does. Now let her go."

One of the younger men, he would have been in his late 20's to early 30's stepped forward. There was a disturbing grin on his face. "Fightin' and sexin' in the same afternoon. I knew today was my lucky day. And lookit, there's another pretty too."

Simon refused to let his stance waver. Early had been more menacing than this bunch, of course there was only one Early and there were six of them. For a second he locked eyes with River and was relieved to see them go hard like obsidian. Gently he nudged Kaylee towards what looked to be a promising stack of heavy timber.

"Get ready," he whispered to Kaylee out of the side of his mouth.

Kaylee squeezed his wrist, showing she understood. Now all they had to do was wait for a signal.

River went limp in her captors' arms. She then used the distraction to kick one in the head, pulling her arm free and punching the other in the face as she rose to her feet. Simon lunged forward, punching Greybeard in the face as Kaylee scrambled to find a weapon in the timber stack.

Greybeard stumbled back, holding his bleeding nose. "_Liou_ _coe shway duh biao-tze huh hoe-tze duh bun ur-tze_. You're gonna regret that."

River moved in a whirl, kicking one man under the chin then dancing out the way and backhanding another. Kaylee hefted a piece of 4 by 4.

"_Jien_ _tah du guai_."

xxxxx

Simon had rarely felt like this before. His heart was pounding, echoing loudly in his ears. Adrenaline was rushing through his body, making him feel strong and invincible. The fight around him was a blur. Kaylee was behind him, her back to his as she nervously swung her lump of wood to keep the men away. River was moving around the alley, her movements so swift and graceful that she looked as though she was dancing.

River spun, her fist lashing out and stopping barely a centimeter from the nose of the boy who lured her off her course. The boy stared cross-eyed at River's fist.

"Run away," River whispered.

The boy whimpered and finally blinked. He moaned lowly. "I'm sorry. Please, don't hurt me!"

"Run away," River repeated. "Bad little boys get no sweets."

The boy whimpered again. He turned on his heel and ran out of the alley, ignoring the derisive cries of his friends.

River kicked the man on her left in the leg, angling her foot to break the bone. He fell to the ground, screaming and clutching his leg. River spin kicked the next man, sending him soaring head first into the wall. He fell to the ground unconscious.

Kaylee shrieked as the lump of wood in her hands was tugged on, pulling her away from Simon. A grizzled man leered at her, bearing his bare gums as he pulled Kaylee toward him. With a sharp twist the piece of wood was yanked from her hands, making large splinters dig into her palms and calloused fingers. He threw the wood to the side and grabbed Kaylee, using his forearm to cut off her oxygen supply.

"I'd stop iffin you like this one to live."

Simon's eyes flickered from Kaylee's face to the man who held her. As quick as a rattlesnake strike he cold-cocked the man nearest to him, the old man with the gun. Simon pulled the gun from its holster and tossed it to River.

"Wound, not kill!"

River held the gun confidently. She glanced at the two remaining men. "Can't look."

River's eyes closed, but like before her aim was unerring. One staggered back holding his arm and Kaylee's captor had let her go, preferring to stem the blood leaking from his thigh.

"Are you hurt?" Simon gripped Kaylee by the forearms.

Kaylee shook her head. "Just some splinters."

Simon gently opened Kaylee's hands and winced. He ran a light finger over them. "I've got something for that back on Serenity. River? Are you okay?"

"Two by two. Just like the ark. Just like the blue. I'm fine, Simon. Played fairytale princess and you saved me again."

Simon kissed her on the forehead. "You did a good job of saving yourself. But what were you doing wandering the docks?"

"Simon, they're here."

"Who's here?"

River nodded towards the mouth of the alley. Simon followed her nod and stiffened when he saw two figures standing there. It was the well-dressed couple that he had so forcefully bumped into earlier. Their faces were pale and slack with shock.

"Ah. Hello, Mother, Father. So **nice **to see you."

xxx

end part one.


	2. Chapter 2

**Ma'at**

Spoilers- just the series, there be no movie spoilers here.  
Disclaimer- the characters and settings used do not belong to be nor do I earn money for them, I am a simple writer who finds inspiration in the works of the Joss god.  
Translations:  
_xiao_ _mei- _little sister (blood)  
_qin_ _ai de-_ dear, darling  
_Wan mei-_ perfect, beautiful  
_Liou_ _coe shway duh biao-tze huh hoe-tze duh bun ur-tze-_ stupid son of a drooling whore and a monkey  
_Ai ya-_ damn  
_sheh-sheh-_ thank you  
_baobei-_ precious item  
xxx

Part 2

"Come now, Mother, it's impolite to stare," Simon said with an uncharacteristic sneer on his face.

Regan Tam recoiled at the malice in her son's voice.

"Please," he continued. "After you."

Regan stiffened, raising her head proudly and resisting the urge to sniff disdainfully at the battered ship. Gabriel Tam placed a hand on the small of her back, directing Regan up the ramp.

Gabriel noted the name painted on the side of the ship. "Serenity? I hardly think **this** can be considered serene."

River danced upside her parents, gun still casually held in one hand. "It's the valley," she informed them, "Captain wants to remember."

Gabriel's lip curled in disgust. "Independents?"

"You don't want to say anything offensive about the Independents," Simon told his parents evenly. "Alliance isn't welcome on this ship."

Simon rubbed River's shoulder. "Come on, _xiao_ _mei_, I want to make sure they didn't hurt you." He took the gun from her unresisting hand. "And Kaylee needs those splinters out."

"I'm okay, Simon," Kaylee insisted, subtly herding the Tam's into the ship.

Shepard Book looked up from his book in surprise. "River? Simon? I wasn't aware the two of you were choosing to partake of this world." He closed his Bible. Book stiffened when he saw the cuts and bruises on their faces. "Oh dear."

Simon smiled bitterly. "I didn't exactly choose, Shepard."

"My fault," River whispered.

Book smiled at her. "I'm sure it wasn't." He looked past Simon and River to the two new people walking into the cargo bay. "And I see we have guests."

Mal sauntered onto the catwalk above their heads. "Did I hear someone say we have guests?"

"You surely did, Captain." Book walked towards the new corners, his hand extended. "Hello, I'm Shepard Book."

"I wouldn't bother, Shepard," Simon told him wearily. "These people are my parents."

"Oh." Book dropped his hand.

Mal straightened. "Well now, ain't this interesting." He leaned back and yelled in the general direction of the infirmary. "Jayne! Get out here!"

Jayne leaned out of the hatchway, a half-eaten apple speared on one of his knives.

"What?" Jayne took in the unfamiliar people. "They ain't stayin' are they?"

"Just until I know they won't inform the Alliance we're here or until we leave Ma'at," Simon assured.

Mal clomped down the stairs to stand in front of Simon. "You think they'd turn you in?"

"I'm not willing to take the chance. If I have to interrupt a few dinner parties to protect my sister, I will."

Mal rubbed his chin. "What I'd like to know is how we ran into your parents on the planet I was assured wouldn't be troublesome."

"New house," River piped up.

"Another one?" Simon rolled his eyes.

"What happened to Kaylee's hands?" Mal asked, his eyes fixed on the reddened hands of his mechanic.

Kaylee's eye flew straight to Mal as she hid her hands guiltily behind her back. "It ain't nothin'."

"There was a… skirmish," Simon corrected.

Mal stiffened his eyes hardening.

"Kaylee, there you are. I found this material that would be perfect for you-" Inara stopped suddenly, her steps having slowed as she approached the group. She held a large bolt of material in her arms. She blinked rapidly and pulled herself back into her Companion shell. "Gabriel? What are you doing here?"

"You know this man?" Simon asked Inara with a startled glance to his father.

Regan tensed and moved away from her husband, fierce frown line creasing her face. Gabriel awkwardly cleared his throat, still trying to scowl at his predicament.

"Yes, we've met several times." Inara studied the disheveled states of her friends. "What happened?"

Inara dropped the material on top of a handy crate. Inara rubbed River's shoulder warmly. "Are you all right, _qin_ _ai de_?" She wiped at a splash of blood that stood out against River's pale skin.

"Not mine," River told her.

"And that ain't making me worry none." Mal crossed his arms.

"Some men tried to attack River. We took care of it."

"Doctor!" Mal warned.

"Honestly, Cap'n, everything's shiny now. They won't bother us again."

Mal nodded at Kaylee's injured hands. "That don't look like shiny to me. Now, try again, from the beginning this time."

Simon sighed, very much aware that his parents were behind him and that they were being suspiciously silent. "Very well. River was sketching in her room when Shepard Book came by to have a weave placed on his hand."

Simon gritted his teeth as he noticed Mal checking that the Shepard did indeed have a weave. "When I returned River was missing. I searched the ship, found Kaylee and she suggested that River may have been outside. We checked the dock and saw River being escorted into an alley by a young man."

Inara gasped. "Oh, River."

"There were five other men. There was a fight. One of the men grabbed Kaylee, I took the one gun they had and River shot the ones remaining. I checked that River and Kaylee were all right and it was pointed out to me that our parents had been watching the entire thing. We… convinced them to join us."

Gabriel snorted. "Is that what you call your sister waving a gun at us? I never thought I'd see the day a Tam would sink so low. Brawling in alleys! Congratulations, son, you've destroyed the name your great grandfather worked so hard to build."

"You think I should I feel ashamed for what I did?" Simon asked incredulously. "I'm not ashamed of my actions. I'm ashamed of you!"

"Daddy's angry," River said softly as Kaylee joined Inara.

"_Wan mei_!" Mal exclaimed, glaring at Simon and his father. "Shut up!"

Mal turned to River. "Now, I know we already this conversation bout running off without tellin' anyone, somethin' that brother o' yours seems to have forgotten."

River shrugged. "Felt them. Needed to know. Got distracted."

"But, River honey, you know not to go off with strangers." Inara brushed River's hair back from her face.

"Wasn't a stranger," River insisted. "Familiar." River tapped her head and looked up at Jayne. "Thinks like Jayne, but not. In the alley. Wanted to hurt me. To make me rip, tear, make me open. Not like Jayne. Jayne doesn't hurt the girls. No hitting girls, 'less they're tryin' to kill ya. Make your mother proud. Be a good boy. They weren't good boys, wanted to make me bleed. Spilt me open."

Simon and Kaylee flinched.

River jerked away from Inara and grasped her head, clearly becoming aggravated. "Just like them. Boys wanted the body. They wanted the mind. Tricked you!" River pointed at her parents. "But not Simon. Simon believed. Simon saved me. Brought me here. Brought me home."

Some of the tension drained out of River and she sidled up to Mal, leaning into his side and worming her way under his arm. "You love this ship."

"That I do," Mal told her. Truth be told he was somewhat shaken by lil' River's outburst.

"And you protect us."

"I do my best."

River grinned and patted him on the cheek. "Such the daddy."

Mal cleared his throat, a faint blush covering his face. "We should get you to the infirmary, darlin'. Get big brother to make sure you're okay."

"Thank you, Captain," Simon breathed a sigh of relief. "Shepard, perhaps you would like to escort our parents to one of the passenger rooms?"

"Shall we consider ourselves prisoners?" Gabriel asked stiffly. He rested his hand on Regan's shoulder. Regan's lips thinned even further and she took a step forward, allowing his hand to slide off.

"You may think of yourselves however you wish, father," Simon said, "you usually do."

A small smirk replaced Mal's 'someone's giving orders on my ship that ain't me' scowl. "Anythin' else, Doc?"

"Those men need to be brought aboard for treatment. I took an oath, Captain," Simon added upon Mal's snort.

"All right, you heard the boy. Jayne, go get them injured men," Mal ordered.

"But-"

"Just do it, Jayne."

xxxxx

Simon rubbed wearily at his tense shoulders as he exited his now sparkling clean infirmary.

"They feared you."

Simon dropped his arms and glanced at his sister, blinking rapidly to clear his eyes. "Who did, _mei_ _mei_?"

River pressed back against Serenity's hull and pulled her knees up under her chin. Bare toes peeked out from under the silk nightgown Inara had given her.

"Those men. We brawled with them. Spilt their blood with our bullets and our fists, made them hurt. But shiny shirts and needles make them fear you more. Stitch, stitch, stitch and the fear grows."

"River, it's late. I'm tired." Simon sighed. "I don't know why tending to them made them scared. The human mind is a complex thing. I doubt even they know."

"I know why," River told him indignantly. "They don't understand. Simon's too nice. Too loyal to his word." River paused, staring up at him for a minute. "I'm going to bed," she announced matter of factly. "Goodnight, Mother, Father."

Simon's eyes closed. He really didn't need this right now.

"Goodnight, Jayne."

River was answered with a grunt. The quiet click of her door closing echoed loudly in the tense room.

"What have you done to her? Dragging her out here? It's driven her insane." Gabriel's voice was tight and dangerously low.

"I didn't do anything to her, Father. What you saw is the product of the Academy and your precious Alliance." Simon cleared his throat and continued. "Jayne will escort you to your quarters. Don't try to access the cortex or wave anyone, Kaylee's already disabled it."

Gabriel threw a haughty glare at Simon, fury boiling in his eyes.

"Gorram 'fugees," Jayne grumbled. Without another word he stomped off.

Regan hesitated, glancing uncertainly from Gabriel's back to Simon.

"Was there something you wanted, Mother?"

Regan's shoulders slumped. "Never mind."

Simon smiled bitterly. "I rarely do these days."

xxxxx

"No! Stay away from me! _Liou_ _coe shway duh biao-tze huh hoe-tze duh bun ur-tze_! No more tests. No!" A scream tore its way up River's throat. "No! Please. No more tests. No more needles. No! No more."

Regan gripped her bedcovers tightly. Silent tears slid down to wet her pillow.

"River, it's okay. It's just a smoother. It'll help you sleep."

"No, Simon, no. No more rutting tests."

"Gorramit, Doc. Would you keep her quiet. Last thing I need is Mal awake and being surly."

"He's doing the best he can, Jayne."

"Well it ain't good enough. Shut her up or I'll shut her up." There was a metallic thud. "It ain't good enough that Mal's got me babysitting the olds but I gotta look after you three as well?"

"We didn't ask for your help, Jayne," the girl (Kaylee?) said.

"The incident in the alley must have unnerved her, evoked some memories from her time at the Academy."

There was a loud crash.

"Simon!"

"I said no needles! You can't penetrate my body without my permission!"

"Okay, no more needles. Not tonight." Simon spoke calmly. "I'm putting the needle away."

"Away?"

"It's gone, River. I put the needle back in the bag."

Regan winced. This wasn't because of the black. It couldn't have been. Simon would die before he let someone or something hurt his little sister.

"Kaylee?" River's voice was panicked. "I didn't mean… It didn't register… Didn't mean to hurt you."

"It's okay, River. It's only a scratch. Shh, it's all right."

Softly, so that Regan had to strain her ears to hear it, Kaylee began to sing to River in Chinese.

The pressure in her chest was too much. Regan swung her legs out of the bed and sat up. "What did they do to her?"

Beside her, Gabriel snorted derisively.

"Simon wouldn't just let this happen to her," Regan snapped. "And didn't you say yourself that the attention the Alliance was paying to this case was excessive? She's seventeen and he's her brother!"

"If she wanted to leave she would have told us," Gabriel said gruffly.

"She tried, but we didn't listen. We never listened. But Simon did. He always listened to her." Regan swallowed hard. "We are such fools."

xxxxx

River propped her chin in the palm of her hand. "Mother is most displeased with Father."

Simon glanced up at his parents who were sitting stiffly on the other side of the room. "Yes, when you promise your wife that you'll never see another Companion again then you must be sure to keep it."

"Not just that," River corrected him. "She believed us. Father can't. Not just yet. Too blinded by his pride."

"We did interrupt a few dinner parties and business meetings I'm sure," Simon said mockingly.

"Too much hurt. Pride wounded."

River rolled her eyes. "Acorn and tree. Pot and kettle."

"Hmm?" Simon looked up distractedly. "Did you say something, River?"

River shook her head. "Nothing."

xxxxx

Gabriel Tam tapped his fingers lightly against the armrest of the pilot's chair. That Jayne oaf had finally fallen asleep, lulled by malt liquor and his own war stories. The man had taken great pleasure in telling Gabriel about all the attempts on River and Simon's lives: everything from the Federal officer who posed as a passenger to Jayne's own deception, and most recently, the bounty hunter who infiltrated the ship.

Simon had gotten shot protecting River. Gabriel remembered how angry he had been when, as a boy, Simon returned home from school with a black eye and his shirt torn and bloody. The boys had been teasing River, he was just protecting his little sister, Simon protested.

If what they all said was true… neural stripping. That certainly couldn't be done out here. And Simon had been babbling about a code in her letters long before the kidnapping. He'd put it down to simply missing River and paranoid delusions after they disappeared, but now…

"What are you doing in here?"

Gabriel swung the pilot's chair to come face to face with the pilot.

The man's naturally jovial face hardened. "How did you get past Jayne?"

He strode forward and carefully checked to see if anything had been altered. Gabriel rose from the chair, relinquishing it back to its owner.

"He fell asleep."

Wash pressed a few buttons, checking the outgoing communications log.

"I did not wave the Federal Police," Gabriel said stiffly.

Wash suddenly studied the man. "Good," he said finally.

Gabriel stiffened under the man's appraisal. He turned on his heel.

"Simon would do anything to protect River."

Gabriel stopped. "I am aware."

"Then why are you so determined to believe the Alliance over your own children?"

Gabriel bristled. "How dare you-"

"No! How dare you! You're their father, you're supposed to protect them, sacrifice for them, care for them and support them. Do you know what's happened to them? What Simon's given up? What River's been through? Do you even care?"

Wash exhaled angrily. "Simon's already told us about you. Didn't you even suspect?"

"It was a government school. She seemed happy."

Wash shook his head. "Maybe you should spend more than five minutes with your children. Then you can see how happy River is."

Wash pushed past Gabriel, not looking back even when he reached his bunk and descended the ladder. Zoë sat up in the bed, blinking sleepily.

"Everything okay, baby?"

Wash sunk down onto the bed and pulled his wife into his arms. "The verse isn't a nice place, is it?"

Zoë frowned. "You know it isn't, Wash."

"But it's never going to be a perfect place, it never has been."

Zoë pulled back to study her husband's eyes. "What's wrong, Wash?"

Wash finally managed a smile. "Gabriel Tam was on the bridge when I went to do my check. Oh, it's okay. Place is so locked up it'd take him a month to just get to the other shuttle," Wash reassured, seeing Zoë about to jump up.

"I was afraid before. So afraid. We don't have the best life out here, or the safest. We're criminals and people get hurt. There are so many reasons not to. But I'm not afraid any more. I'm ready. Finally, I'm ready."

Zoë placed a hand on Wash's cheek, forcing him to meet her eyes. "Wash, what are you ready for?"

Wash smiled widely. "For a baby, Zoë. I'm ready to have a baby."

xxxxx

Jayne growled. For the fifth time that day he slapped River's hand as she reached for one of his guns.

"Gorramit, girl. What'd the Captain tell ya about playin' with my guns?"

River grinned impishly. "Not play. And you shouldn't have them out here."

"Gotta clean 'em. Here's a good a place as any."

"Like scaring the mother and father," River chided.

Jayne smirked. "Well, their eyes go so wide. It's more than a mite 'musin'."

"Wicked man." River frowned, raising one hand to her head. "So much… It swirls. I can see it in the air. It cloaks us. Confusion. Fear. Boom boom, boom boom, boom boom. Heart not were it's meant to be. Broken. It's the Blue."

River suddenly turned to the doorway and grinned. "Inara."

Within minutes the glamorous companion swept in. Inara smiled at River as she started her familiar ritual of preparing tea.

"What are you doing, River?"

River curled her arm around her knees. "Watching, waiting," she looked over at her parents, "feeling."

"And how is that going?"

"There's progress. He's starting to believe. He does believe," she corrected. "He needs to comprehend."

Inara stirred her tea and sighed. "Maybe some good will come of this then."

Jayne snorted. "Ain't no good ever come from lettin' Tams on this ship, Inara."

Inara rolled her eyes and slapped him on the back of the head.

River laughed. "Just like Simon, such a boob."

xxxxx

Inara inhaled the soothing aroma that emanated from the dainty tea cup in front of her. She could feel her muscles slowly relaxing as she breathed in the incense and aromatic tea. Serenity had not been the most peaceful space lately. It was a great relief to be able to escape to her shuttle and let that tension slip away.

"Oh, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to interrupt."

Inara looked over her shoulder to see Regan leaving. "No, please. You aren't interrupting. Please join me. Would you like some tea?"

Regan cautiously perched on the Companion's settee. "No, thank you." Regan was starting to regret coming here. She felt very plain and dull next to the exotic beauty of the vibrant Companion.

"I assume you wish to speak about Gabriel."

"I have nothing against Companions. I wanted to be one when I was a teenager. I had dreams of being swept off my feet by a handsome man and we'd live happily ever after," Regan smiled bitterly. "Foolish dreams."

"The dreams of one not familiar with the world."

Regan shrugged. "When I met Gabriel he… he had quite the reputation. He loved Companions. I thought that he could love me more. He promised never to visit another after we married."

Regan dabbed at her eyes. "I guess it was just another promise to be broken."

"Mrs. Tam, I don't know what you're looking for."

"I don't know precisely myself." Regan laughed and wiped her eyes. "I guess I just wanted to see what I was missing. What you had that I didn't."

"Most of the men who visit me, if they are married or not, they are looking for an escape. Not because they don't love their wives but they feel-"

"Trapped?"

"Perhaps. Being a Companion isn't just about sex. I'm not a whore. Many of my clients simply desire conversation and company, a person to accompany them to a ball."

"I know Gabriel. He wouldn't just want to talk."

"I'm sorry but Guild law restricts me from discussing client details. What happened in the private sphere remains so."

"Trust me, I don't want details." Regan rubbed her hands over her thighs. "Simon hasn't-"

"No," Inara assured her immediately. "Simon has been extremely devoted to helping River and I think Kaylee snared his heart the minute he saw her." Inara smiled fondly. "She has a way of doing that."

"She appears to be a lovely girl."

"She is. And she has done wonders for Simon."

"She makes him happy. I can tell. When he looks at her, there's a light in his eyes. I haven't seen in years. Since Sarah Lin in his senior year."

Inara grinned and filed the name away for later teasing.

Regan sat bolt up right. "River! She's not- Not with- I mean, Mr. Cobb- Shepard Book is perfectly nice. And Captain Reynolds is… well. But- but Mr. Cobb, he's…"

Inara pulled a face and laughed. "No. River has shown no interest in the crew. Mal sees her as a little sister or perhaps even a daughter. And Jayne… Jayne sees River as a annoyance more than anything."

Regan breathed a sigh of relief. "I love my children," Regan told her, looking down at her hands. "I just couldn't believe…"

"It is a difficult situation to believe. If I hadn't seen the evidence, seen River when she first woke up from cryo. I wouldn't have believed it myself."

Regan sunk into herself. Half of her couldn't believe she was confiding in this woman, but the rest of her argued back that this was the one person who was looking at her without contempt.

"What am I going to do?"

Inara reached over and patted Regan on the knee. "What you think is best."

xxxxx

"Doctor!' Mal strode into the infirmary. "We've got a problem of your causin'."

Simon looked up from his computer console. "What?"

"There was some people in town flashin' pictures around asking bout Ma and Pa Tam." Mal crossed his arms.

Simon cursed. "The servants. _Ai ya_, I forgot about them."

"Cause they're just so forgettable," Mal drawled.

Simon glared at him. "Mother and Father always take them with them to a new house."

"And now they raised the alarm! We gotta get going 'fore those servants get it into their heads to call the Feds. Fore they link Serenity with your parents."

Mal crossed her arms. "So the question becomes what are you going to do about 'em?"

Simon ran a hand through his hair. "I don't know."

"Funny thing is, here we are with you causin' problems for the rest of the crew, again."

"I just thought, if they could see River maybe they'd understand…"

"We do."

Mal and Simon turned violently, startled to find Gabriel standing in the doorway of the infirmary. Gabriel steeped into the room.

"I'm sorry we didn't believe you, Simon. I snuck in here last night and examined the scan you have of River's brain. Jayne mentioned the neural stripping the other night when he was inebriated. I had to see for myself. There are no facilities in the black that are sophisticated enough to do something like that."

"Oh, _sheh-sheh_," Simon said sarcastically.

"I should have believed you a long time ago, Simon, and I'm sorry."

Gabriel titled his graying head and Mal took a second to marvel at how much Simon and River looked like their father.

"That's all fine and dandy," Mal said with a sarcastic lit. "But that don't solve our problem."

"Regan and I will return to our house and tell the help that we were staying with friends and simply forgot to inform them."

Mal eyed him critically. "And how do we know you won't just go running to the Feds?"

"You don't," Gabriel said calmly. "But Simon and River are my children and I do not wish to see them hurt further."

"I don't think-"

"He won't," River sauntered up from behind Gabriel, interrupting Mal. "Father loves us once more. Wants to takes us home, but knows he can't. Wants to see us free from hurt, just like Daddy."

Moisture welled in Gabriel's eyes. "I never stopped loving you, _baobei_. I was just blind."

River smiled. "But now you have removed the mask and are dazzled by the light."

Gabriel cupped her face affectionately, his smile bittersweet. "I certainly am."

xxxxx

Regan stood in the centre of Serenity's cargo hold, her chest heaving as she struggled to control her breathing. Her children were leaving her again.

"Regan, we have to go." Gabriel stepped up beside her, cupping her elbow.

Regan looked up at him with large sorrowful eyes. "Gabriel."

"I know, Regan, but we have to go."

Gabriel started to lead her away.

"Mr. Tam."

Gabriel turned, surprised to see the entire crew lined up on the catwalk. "Come to see us off, Captain Reynolds?"

Mal clomped down the stairs, leading his crew. "Somethin' like that."

Regan clamped her trembling hands together. "Captain Reynolds, I have to thank you for everything you've done to protect River and Simon."

Mal shrugged. "They're my crew. And they've been helpful a time or two. Boy's got quite the criminal mind."

Simon smirked as his parents turned their horrified stare to him.

"Regan, we should go." Gabriel placed an arm around Regan's shoulders and began to guide her back to Ma'at's docks.

Simon felt River tense beside him.

"It can never be," she muttered sadly.

Regan suddenly tore herself away from Gabriel and, sobbing, raced back to her children. She threw herself at Simon, who, though startled, caught her with strong and steady arms. Regan reached out unsteadily and captured River by the arm, drawing her into a three-way hug.

"Please don't make me go. Please."

Simon patted her awkwardly on the back. "Mother, you can't stay here."

Regan looked up and stared pleadingly at Mal. "I'll-I'll do anything you like. I'll cook. I'll clean. Do laundry. Unload boxes. Just please let me stay with my children."

Mal sighed. "Ma'am. The black ain't anything you've ever experienced. I'm 'fraid I'm gonna hafta ask you and your husband to leave."

"But I just got them back," Regan whispered brokenly.

Simon laid his hands on his mother's shoulders. "If you were to come with us it would automatically make you a fugitive as well."

"I don't care!"

"And the Alliance would know that we had been in contact with you. The accounts would be frozen, property seized. Father would be detained for questioning, probably even killed."

Regan slumped, seeming to cave in on herself. Gabriel stepped forward to place a hand on her back in a protective gesture.

"Surely, there must be something we can do," Gabriel said quietly. "Some manner in which we may assist you. Money, at they very least."

Simon shook his head, about to decline.

Mal cut across Simon's protest. "Of that we would be mightily grateful. I believe we could come to some kind of arrangement. Tell me, do you know a fellow by the name of Badger?"

xxxxx

Regan wondered apathetically around her opulent dining room. She glanced over at her husband. Gabriel sat in a high backed chair, staring into a roaring fire.

"Do you think we'll ever see them again?" Regan sighed and made her way over to the fireplace.

"I have to believe that we will." Gabriel said gruffly. Gabriel looked over at his wife, his dark eyes glittering in the light of the fire. "Regan, about Inara-"

Regan shook her head sharply. "Not now, Gabriel. I do not wish to fight. And I'm not quite ready to forgive you yet."

Gabriel closed his eyes in defeat.

Regan walked over to one of the large glass windows. The stars sparkled down on her and Regan knew that her children were out there, among them, somewhere. But maybe one day…

And for the first time since childhood, Regan bowed her head and prayed.

xxx

End.


End file.
